Paper-guiding device for printing-presses



P. W. EOWAN. PAPER GUEDING DEWCE F08 PBWTING PRESSES,

APPLICATION man MR. 4, 191a.

Patented Jan; 25, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEEF I P. w. cowAN, PAPER GUIDING DEVICE FOR PRINTING PRESSES. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 4. I9I8.

1,366,769. Patented Jan. 25,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- tlhll'l'h.

'Thbl'l' OFFICE.

PAPER-GUIDING- DEVICE FDR PRINTING-PRESSES.

Application filed March 4, 1918.

T 0 all whom it m y concern: v

Be it known that I, PARK WV. CowAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Jlngeles county of Los Angeles, and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Paper-Guiding Devices for Printing-Presses, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation more specifically to a device adapted to be attached to the platen of a printing press for maintaining the paper ted thereto by the pressman in an exact and desired relation to the printing form locked to the press bed.

It has been the custom among printers when preparing presses for a printing op eration, to first lock the chase carrying the type form to the bed plate and take an impression therefrom on the tympan securec to the platen to determine the proper place ment of the guides thereon. These guides generally consist ot pins or quads secured to the tympan in angular relation to each other, the pins being forced into and through the tympan and the quads glued thereto. This method of securing the paper guides has not only proved a laborious operation, but they are extremely ditlicult of exact adjustment.

By the employment of my improved paper guiding mechanism the above recited dificulties of the pressman in preparing and placing paper guides on the platen of a press is largely eliminated.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a paper guiding mechanism for printing presses that may be readily and quickly adjusted, so that the paper ted thereto will be brought into an exact relation to the type form, on an operation of the press.

A further object of my invention is to provide a paper guiding device that may be readily secured to the platen of a printing press without altering the same, and when secured thereto will not interfere with the operation oi other mechanisms connected thereto.

A further and important object of my invention is to provide a mechanism of the character described wherein after an initia adjustment has been made, a further micrometer adjustment can be accomplished.

A further object of my invention is to provide a mechanism which can be readily re-adjustech when the chase containing the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

Serial No. 220,167.

printing form is removed and another chase is substituted, as in multi-color work.

-With the about enumerated and incidental objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features or" construction and combination of parts. the essential elements whereof are recited in the appended claims and a preferred form of embodiment of which is described in detail hereinafter and fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification.

Referring in general terms to the accompanying drawings, they are described as follows:

Figure 1: is a plan view of a printing press platen showing my device connected thereto, adjustments being shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 2: is aside elevation of my device showing its connection with a printing press platen.

Fig. 3: is an enlarged detail section through one of the adjustable guide arms, taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 4: is an enlarged detail section through one of the adjustable guide arms, taken on line l-l of Fig. 5.

Fig. 5: is a side elevation, partly in section of an adjustable guide arm, taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6: is a perspective view of the outer end of one of the adjustable guide arms.

Fig. 7: is a side elevation. partly in section of the paper guiding device adjusting means. taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, 10 designates the platen of a printing press of the type commonly known as job presses, the other coiiperating press mechanisms being omitted as they do not form a part of my invention, or cooperate therewith. Platen 10 is of rectangular form and is mounted to reciprocate in the usual well known manner. Pivotally secured as at 11 to each of the side edges 12 and 13 of platen 10 are bail clamps 14 and 15 which serve to maintain the tympan (not shown) in a stretched relation to the platen.

Secured to the under face of platen 10 in a suitable manner, and at the lower corners l6 and 17 thereof are brackets 19 and 20 in the outer ends of which is revolubly mounted a cylindrical rock shaft 21. Mounted on rock shaft 21 are a plurality of paper guiding arms 22, 23 and 24, adapted to be moved longitudinally along said shaft. Shaft 21 is preferably disposed a sufficient distance from the bottom edge 25of the platen so that the ends of the guiding arms, when in their retracted position, will just contact with the face of the platen, and not interfere with its working surface.

Paper guiding arms 22, 23, are exactly alike in construction and operation, and for brevit of description 1 will describe only one. l lach arm preferably consists of an apertured hub 26 provided with a key way 27 adapted to engage with a key 23 secured to the shaft 21. Formed integral with the upper surface of hub 26 and extending at right angles therefrom is a paper guide arm 28, substantially rectangular in form, and

provided on its outer end with a dove-tailed groove 29, for the reception of an adjustable friction slide 30 which is approximately of the same length as arm 28, the rear end projecting beyond the groove so as to enable an operator to readily manipulate the same when desired. The outer end of arm 28' is provided with a centrally disposed slot 31 which extends from the front end of the arm rearwardly, terminating at the end of the groove 29, the outer divided ends of the arm being provided with transversely disposed apertures 32, 33, aperture 32 being threaded for the reception of a knurled thumb bolt 34, by means of which the operator may clamp the friction slide 30 at any desired point along the groove 29, after adjusting the same. The extreme outer end of slide 30 is provided with longitudinally disposed counter bores 38, 39 and 40, the central bore 39 receiving a threaded adjusting stud 41 secured to one end of an extension paper guide member 42, the two companion studs 43 and 44 secured to member 42 and disposed on either side of stud 39, serving to prevent any turning movement of member 42 when it is being extended or retracted. Threaded stud 4lcngages a knurled thumb nut 45 that is disposed in a recess 46 formed in the upper face of slide 30, the rotation of said nut extending or retracting member 42 as desired. Extension member 42 is of block form, as clearly shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, and an outwardly projecting tongue or ledge 47 serves to prevent the disengagement of the paper when resting against the outer face 48 of the guide member, during the printing operation.

aper guide arm 24 is disposed on shaft 21 and acts as a guide for one of the side edges of the paper which is being fed to the press, and is similar in all respects to its companion arms 22, 23, with the single exception that its adjusting slide 50 is considerably longer to allow for a greater extension.

The extreme outer end of slide 50 is provided with a plurality of transversely disposed counter bores 51, 52 and 53, adapted to receive studs 54, 55 and 56, secured to an extension paper guide member 57, similar in construction to members 42, the central stud 55 being threaded and engaging a knurled thumb nut 58 disposed in a recess 59 formed in the top face of slide 50, the adjusting operation for member 50 being the same as members 42 secured to the other heretofore described paper guides. The hubs 26 of Paper guide arms 22, 23 and 24, are each slotted from their apertures outwardly and provided with counter bores 60, 61, counter bore 61 being threaded for the reception of a threaded thumb bolt 62 adapted to secure the hubs 26 and the paper guide arms formed integrally therewith rigidly to the rock shaft 21 at any desired point along its length.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 2 and 7 the rock shaft 21 is provided at one end thereof with a shaft actuating mechanism 65. This mechanism preferably consists of a sleeve 66 which is socketed into the bracket 19 and surrounds the rock shaft 21, and is held in place by means of an adjusting screw 67. The outer end of sleeve 66 is enlarged as at 67, and is provided on its peripheral'edge with a projection 68. A rock shaft handle 69 is secured to the shaft 21 and projects forwardly, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. Pivotally mounted on one side of handle 69 is a spring actuated latch member 70, the hooked end of said member adapted to engage the projection 68 formed on the sleeve when the handle 69 is raised upwardly to rock shaft 21, a coil spring 71 maintaining the latch in sprin pressed engagement with projections 68. fine end of spring 71 is secured to the latch member 70 to one side of-the pivot while the other end of the said spring engages a pin '72 secured to bracket member 19. The coil spring 71which is attached to brackets 19 and to rock shaft handle 69, serves to maintain the paper guide arms against movement and firmly pressed against the tympan when in their operative position during a printing operation.

The operation of my device will be clearly apparent from the following description: When the printer desires to put a press into condition for an operation, the shaft 21 is rocked through the medium of its handle 69 so that the paper guide arms 22, 23 and 24, are brought into a raised position, as clearly shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The operator can then raise bails l4 and 15 pivotally secured to the platen of the press and adjust the tympan thereto. After the tympan. has been secured to the platen, latch member 70 is released from engagement with the projection 68 formed on the sleeve 67, and the shaft is rocked by means of its handle 69 so as to into operative position with respect to the platen 10, as clearly shown in the various views of the drawings.

The operator then locks the chase containing the printing form to the bed of the press in the usual manner and takes an impression on the tympan. After obtaining the impression on the tympan, the slides 30 and of the paper guide arms are adjusted forwardly and the guides laterally so that the paper fed to said platen will be brought into an exact position to receive the impression, the knurled adjusting nuts 34 being operated to maintain the slides against movement in their adjusted positions. In order to obtain an extremely accurate adjustment, the operator after taking one or more impressions moves the extension paper guide members 42 inwardly and outwardly by means of the knurled thumb nuts 45, thus securing an extremely minute and eract adjustment.

After the above adjustment has taken place the press is ready for a printing operation, and it will be apparent that my paper guiding mechanism will not interfere in the slightest with the operation of the press, or

the mechanisms connected thereto, and fur-- ther it will be impossible to accidentally displace the paper guides from their initial adjustment.

It will also be noticed that by means of my improved mechanism, several chases containing printing forms employed in multi-color Work can be quickly interchanged, a slight variation occurring in said forms by reason of the rearrangement of the form furniture being provided for by the extension paper guide members on the ends of the slides.

It will also be noted that by the use of my improved mechanism a re-adjustment of the make ready can be quickly accomplished without disturbing the adjustment of the paper guiding means.

What I claim is:

1. A device of the class described, comprising a pair of gage supporting brackets adapted to be mounted on the lower side of a printing press platen adjacent the side edges and projecting beyond the lower horizontal edge of the platen, a rock shaft mounted in said gage supporting brackets, a plurality of paper guiding arms adjustably secured to said rock shaft, and manually operated, latching means to swing and hold said arms out of engagement with the press platen when desired.

2. In a device of the class described, a pair of gage supporting brackets adapted to be mounted on the lower side of a printing press platen adjacent the side edges and projecting beyond the lower horizontal edge of the platen, a shaft mounted in said gage supporting brackets, a plurality of paper guiding arms adjustably secured to said shaft, the ends of said guiding arms being provided with adjustable extensions, screw adjusting means mounted on the ends of said arms adapted to adjust the extensions to or away from the ends of the guiding arms, and manually operated means to swing said arms out of engagement with the press platen when desired.

3. A device of the class described, a pair of gage supporting brackets adapted to be mounted on the lower side of a printing press platen adjacent the side edges and projecting beyond the lower horizontal edge of the platen, a rock shaft mounted in said gage supporting brackets, a plurality of paper guiding arms adjustably secured to said shaft, a handle to rock said shaft and paper guiding arms away from the platen to permit of an adjustment of the tympan, and a spring pressed latch pivotally secured to said handle and engaging said shaft to maintain said paper guiding arms in a v raised position during the adjustment of the tympan.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 2nd day of February, 1918.

PARK W. COWAN. 

